Gas-turbine engine.



A. E. BINNS.

GAS TURBINE ENGINE.

PPLIOATION TILED NOV. 22, 1911.

1,099,335. Patented June 9, 1914.

parts, an embodiment of which is illustrated adjacent end section 5 of the outer casing.

OFFICE.

ABTHURE. IBINNS, OF SOUTH W'INDHAM, CONNECTICUT.

GAS-TURBINE ENGINE.

1,999,335. Specification of Application filed November 22, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, ARTHUR E. BINNS, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Windham, Windham county, Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Turbine Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to gas turbine engines and is concerned with improvements in the general structure of the engine and particularly in the construction and arrangment of the valves for admission of the exp osive mixture for operating the engine.

An object of the invention is to provide a plurality of {jets for discharging the ignited gas upon the rotor or rotors.

A further object is to provide a simple and efiective cam system for actuating the compressing means for the gas, operating synchronously with the operation of the ad mission valves.

With these and otherobjects in view, as will appear from the following detailed de scription of the invention, the latter consists in the construction and arrangement of in the accompanying drawing, in which the figure shows a longitudinal central section of the turbine, illustrating the construction and relative arrangement of the several parts thereof.

In the embodiment of my invention herein selected for illustration, 1 indicates an outer casing of the turbine mechanism, which, as indicated, may be formed in sections of sheet metal secured together as at 22. The forward end of the casing is inclosed by head 3 and the opposite end by means of a head 1, which may be formed integrally with the A reinforcingand bearing plate 6 may be secured to this head 1 if desired. The turbine casing proper comprises the opposite end sections 7 and 8, preferably of cast metal and an intermediate section 9 also of cast metal. Within the end sections 7 and 8, which ,may be called compression sections, are arranged the inlet valves and gas compressing mechanisms for supplying fluid pressure to the rotorin the central section 9, which may be called the expansion or rotor section, formin the rotor or expansion chamber. Within suitable bearings 10 and 11, supported by the end sections 7 and 8, is

Letters Patent Patented June 9, 1914.

Serial ,No. 661,663.

or more rotors 13 and 1.4 may be fixed. The rotor chamber 9 is provided with heads 15 and 16 having suitable stufling boxes 1.717 for the passage of the turbine shaft. Within cham )ers 18 and 19 in the turbine casing sections 7 and 8 respectively, are mounted corresponding piston operating cams 20 and 21. Said cams are of the shape indicated, namely, with one side of greater height than the other and at the periphery of each cam is a channel 22, within which the piston rods 23 of the compression pistons 24 have bearings, the pistons 24 operate in cylinders 25 preferably cast integral in the end casing sec tions 7 and 8. I have shown these cams 20 and 21 diagrammatically, z. 0., as solid, but it is obvious that in practice they will be formed hollow at their higher portions in order to ali'ord equal distribution of mass about the center of rotation. The piston rods 23 are connected by rods 23 pivoted at each end of said piston rods and intermediatcly pivoted on a non-rotating sleeve 12 loosely mounted on the turbine shaft 12 and resting against the squared face of the hubs of cams 20 and 21. With thisconstruction,

when one of the pistons 24: is moved up- I wardly by a cam to compress a charge, the opposite piston 23 is moved downwardly through the rod connection 23 to draw in a fresh charge. Each cylinder has an outlet :26 into an. explosion chamber 27 adjacent each cylinder. The inner ends of these explosion chambers are closed by valves 28 operated from the cam disks 29, which in turn are operated by bevel gears 30 and 31, each of the latter being mounted on a shaft 32 upon one extremity of which is mounted a gear 33 meshing with a gear 34-, which in turn meshes with gear 35 fixed to the turbine shaft 12.

The timing of the gears ,33 to 35 inclusive and of the cam disks 29 is such that the valves 2% are opened exactly at the point of the most ell'ectivc compression of the gas Within the cylinder 25 and the explosion chambers 27. It should be understood that any suitable ignition mechanism, such as electrodes 27', may be mounted within the explosion chamber 27 to explodethe charge at the desired point of compression, such electrodes being provided with suitable connections to a source of electric energy and with the usual accessories of a sparking up; paratus.

j'ournaled a turbine shaft 12, upon which one their cylinders to compress the charges therein. The valve mechanisms are so arranged that the valves 28 open successively just prior to the explosion of the charges in each explosion chamber 27, whereby motive power is supplied to the rotors 13 and 14. The exhaust gases leave the rotor chamber by means of exhaust passage 39.

It will be evident that I have associated in a turbine, spaced compression sections wherein gas is compressed and fired and an intermediate rotor chamber to which the compressed and fired gas is led and in which it expands ti) operate a rotor. In the drawings I have shown two rotor members rigidly secured to the same shaft, one rotor member for each compression section. It will be understood, of course, that a single rotor may be employed, the compressed and exploded gases from the end compression sections operating against the oppositesides or edges of this rotor member, the firing mechanism being suitably timed.

While I have herein described a particular embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood the same may be altered in detail and relative arrangement of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is z 1. In a gas turbine engine, in combination, a casing having therewithin a rotor chamber, and having at opposite sides of said chamber compression and explosion sections, one of said sections providing an annular series of compression chambers, and a piston for each of said chambers, a shaft within said casing extending through said rotor chamber, a rotor member fixedly carried by said shaft within said rotor chamber, cam members fixedly carried by said shaft at opposite sides of said rotor chamber, operative connections between said cam members and said pistons arranged to operate said pistons to successively compress charges in successive compression chambers, firing electrodes associated with said compression chambers, means for feeding fuel to said compression chambers, valve-controlled connections between each of said compression chambers and saidrotor chamber, and means controlled from said shaft for successively operating said valve-controlled 2. In a. gas turbine engine, in combination, a casing having therewithin a rotor chamber and provided atopposite sides of said chamber with a seri'esof compression chambers separate from said rotor chamber, a piston for each of said compression chambers, a shaft within said casing extending through said rotor chamber, a rotor member fixedly mounted upon said shaft and within said rotor chamber, cam wheels can ried by said shaft at opposite sides of said rotor chamber, with operative connections between said cam wheels and said pistons constructed and arranged to reciprocate said pistons with the rotation of said shaft and to successively compress charges in successive compression chambers, means for successively firing gas compressed in said cham-- bers', and valve-controlled connections between each of said compression chambers and saidrotor chamber, with means controlled from said shaft for successively operating said connections to admit the fired. gas to said rotor chamber. 1

3. In a gas turbine engine, a casing, a

shaft journaled therein and extending lon-' gitudinally and interiorly thereof, compression chambers within said casing spaced longitudinally thereof, an expanslon chamber.

Within said casing separated from and intermediate said compression chambers, rotor members fixedly mounted on said shaft within said expansion chamber,'firing electrodes associated with said compression chambers, means for feeding fuel to said chambers, means operated from said shaft and within said casing for compressing charges of fuel in said chambers, and valvecontrolled means for conducting the fired charge into said expansion chamber and against the adjacent rotor member therein.

4. In a gas turbine engine, in combinatlon, a casing provided with a rotor chamber therein and with a plurality of compression chambers and complemental communieating explosion. chambers, valve controlled gas inlet passages communicating with said compression chambers, a piston for each compression chamber, a shaft journaled in said casing and extending in said rotor chamber, a rotor member fixedly car 'ied. bv said shaft Withinsai'd' rotor chamber, a dislc fixedly carried by said shaft within said casing and without said rotor chamber, said disk being provided with a cam face, operative connections between said cam face and said pistons arranged to operate said pistons to successively charge and compress gas in successive compression and explosion chambers, means for successively firing gas compressed in successive explosion chainbcrs, valve controlled connections between each of said explosion chambers and said rotor chamber, and means controlled from said shaft for successively operating said shaft journaled in said casing and extending, longitudinally and interlorly thereof,

two series of compression chambers within said casing spaced longitudinallythereof,an expansion chamber within said casing separate from and intermediate said spaced series of compression chambers, reciprocating pistons for each of said compression cl1ambers, .rotor members carried by said shaft within said expansion chamber, cam disks carried by said shaft Without said expansion chamber, means for feeding fuel to said compression chambers, operative connections between said cam disks and said pistons for successively compressing charges of fuel within said compression chambers, firing electrodes associated with said compression chambers and valve-controlled means operated from said shaft for successively conducting the fired charges from said. compres sion chambers into said expansion chamber and against the adjacent rotor member 2.

therein.

ARTHUR E. BINNS.

Witnesses:

EDITH A. FELLOWS, CHAS. V. JAMES. 

